


Calm in Fire

by litana



Series: Fire Emblem Fates [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:20:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29670612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/litana/pseuds/litana
Summary: In the midst of the intensity of a war threatening to turn him into his father, Xander finds himself drawn to a shy princess who hasn't yet found her voice.
Relationships: Leo/Hannah (Fire Emblem), Xander/Sakura (Fire Emblem)
Series: Fire Emblem Fates [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180307





	Calm in Fire

This was getting ridiculous. He was a prince of the most feared kingdom in the world, leading an army of warriors against an ancient enemy, and he could barely focus on what his general was saying. The cause of his distraction tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear and continued to take notes, skin wrinkling between her eyes as she frowned at whatever she’d written. He wanted to reach out and smooth the worry away with his fingertips. He clenched his hands into fists under the table, trying to will away the foolish thoughts.  
“Prince Xander?”  
Xander frowned at Stahl, trying to buy time and catch up on the conversation. Something about supply chains… or new armor? Damn it.  
“My apologies, I was lost in thought. What was your concern, Lord Stahl?”  
As Stahl backtracked over the past few minutes of discussion, Xander glared across the table at the Princess’ bent head, still scribbling notes in her flowing script. This fascination had to end. 

Sakura Azaleon was not a weak person, but anyone who met her would say she fit the description of “timid mouse” reasonably well. She wasn’t going to deny it. People intimidated her, and the striking, prince with hard eyes glaring at her across the table was no exception. She felt his gaze burning angry holes into her hair, which she let fall across her face as a shield. She had been perfectly fine when Prince Xander of Nohr, the enemy kingdom recently turned ally, ignored her. But more often of late, she felt him watching her, hostility in every tense line of his body. Sakura understood the tension between her family and his, but she was a healer who helped Hoshidian and Nohrian alike during the war. Of all her siblings, she was at a loss as to what she’d done to suddenly draw his ire.  
Chairs shuffled and slid out as the meeting ended. She’d look over her notes later that evening. She was sure there was a better way to handle the transportation and storage of the healing herbs, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to speak up in front of the leaders of the two great armies. She’d seen enough in her lifetime to merit her seat at the table, but at only 18 years old, she often wondered if anything she said would be of value. And by the time she got done wondering, the conversation had moved on and the window of opportunity gone.  
“Princess Sakura?”  
She looked up to see Leo, the other Nohrian prince, holding the door for her. She hurried, smiling at him as she passed. He fell into step with her, walking by her side through the camp. That was the nice thing about Leo. He was comfortable with silence. He made time to sit with her as she read in the evenings, lugging over dusty tomes of sorcery that she couldn’t begin to comprehend. She’d mentioned as much to him once, and he’d laughed, saying he couldn’t comprehend it either.  
“I’m glad you came to the meeting. If you have any suggestions to streamline the supply process, write them down and give them to me. I can make sure to share them with the council, with all credit to you of course.”  
She gave an inner sigh of relief. Trust Leo to figure out a way for her voice to be heard without pushing her beyond her comfort zone.  
“I’ll send a messenger by your tent tonight. Thank you, Leo.”  
He smiled at her, bowed over her hand, and headed off into the dusk shrouded sea of tents. 

Xander stared at his brother as he walked away from the princess.  
“She talks to you.”  
Leo arched an eyebrow and shrugged, ducking inside his tent.  
“Some. Mostly we just study together. Poor company for others, but it suits us fine.”  
He began shucking off armor, dropping it carelessly on the rugs covering the ground. Xander forced himself to ignore the mess, knowing that Leo wouldn’t appreciate a “Princely lecture” as he called it. Besides, he was remembering how comfortable she’d looked, walking beside his brother. She only ever looked terrified of him. Which made his reaction to her even more unbelievable. He needed a strong partner, someone with backbone, unafraid of the terrors of war. Sakura was… none of those things. She was delicate and shy, a brilliant healer who maintained optimism in even the darkest horrors of the night. She was a creature of light and not suited to his, well, darkness sounded melodramatic but what better way to describe his single minded focus on the destruction of his enemies? Hell, it was only a month ago that his enemies were those she loved most.  
“Brother, I don’t know where your head is at today, but unless there’s a reason for it to be in my tent… do you mind?”  
Xander shook himself.  
“Right, sorry. Just thinking. Good night, brother.”  
Leo rolled his eyes, and Xander heard him mutter something about women being more trouble than they were worth.

An eerie whistle tore Sakura out of sleep. She sat up, heart pounding, shivering as a cold breeze sliced through the wall of the tent. Pulling a blanket around her shoulders, she crept to the place where the tent folds fell together to make an entry and looked out. Nothing stirred, but she heard faint hoofbeats and the snorting grunts of Xander’s black stallion, Valentine. Where was he going at this hour of the night? The subtle flapping of wings sounded as a dark formed blacked out the stars and swooped down to land in front of her tent. Hinoka leapt down off the Pegasus, reaching out to pull Sakura into a quick hug.  
“There’s been a sighting of faceless. A little girl and her mother stumbled into camp, terrified and telling of their village overrun. They say there are still survivors barricaded in the town hall. We can’t wait til morning.”  
This was why Hinoka was the strong sister. She always knew what needed to be done and she did it. Sakura ducked back in her tent, pulling on stockings and her overcoat. She grabbed her staff and headed back out to the cold.  
“Tell me where the girl and her mother are, I’ll tend to them.”  
Sakura followed Hinoka to the edge of the camp, where a small force had gathered. Xander, Leo, her older brothers Ryoma and Corrin, and her sister Azura all stood waiting. She saw two shaking figures huddled under cloaks in the shadow of one of the guard tents. She hurried over, offering gentle words to calm the terrified survivors. She had a small doll stuffed into her pocket and presented it now for the little girl’s appraisal. As the sniffles subsided, Sakura smiled at her.  
“Let’s go inside, and I’ll take a look at your knee, ok?”  
The little girl pulled her knee, cut up and still bleeding, back under the safety of her cloak and whimpered.  
“Don’t worry, I have special magic that will make the hurt go away. Come with me.”  
Sakura grabbed the mother’s hand, needing to get them out of the cold and into better light to work with. She glanced back at her family. They would be ok. They had to be ok. They were strong, and the princes of Nohr were hardy allies to have fighting at your side. Still, she shivered, remembering the strange noise that had woken her from sleep. It echoed in her even now, the shriek of the battlefield dead. 

She was incredible. The villagers instantly warmed to her, following her inside the tent without fear. She knew instinctively what to say, how to help those in need. Apparently her difficulties with speech were confined to conversing with other nobles. Or, given her reaction to his brother, confined only to him. Xander swung up into the saddle, waiting for the others to do the same. Hinoka shot up into the sky, and headed south, towards the village in need of rescue. She would scout ahead and report back to the rest of them.  
They rode in silence. Xander and Valentine moved as one, the horse having been with him since he was a boy. Eight years later, both he and the stallion had learned the value of stealth, patience, and vengeance. The small group made good time. Xander’s blood heated at the thought of the upcoming battle. His siblings saw him as cold and detached from the world, but they had no idea. Beneath his calm mask was a raging fury, built ever higher by the betrayals of his father, his own blood. He lived for the moments on the battlefield where he could let that other piece of himself reign wild.  
A spear sank into the ground a bare few feet to Leo’s left. He spouted off a curse and made a rude gesture at the sky above. Hinoka’s laugh echoed down as Ryoma grabbed the message off the butt of the spear and read it aloud.  
“Village on fire. Bunch of faceless gathered around central area, likely survivors there. Going to get Sakura, they’ll need her.”  
That was the problem with messages from the sky; you couldn’t argue with them. The last thing Xander wanted was to have Sakura here amid the violence. Logically, he knew Hinoka would make sure she was safe from the fighting. He knew it was a good call to have her on hand for the injured villagers. But more than his fear for her was his fear that she’d see him unleashed, raging and uncontrolled. It was bad enough having to deal with Leo giving him long, concerned, looks after a battle. The thought of giving Sakura another reason to fear him was unacceptable.  
He shrugged his shoulders under the sudden, uncomfortable weight of his armor. The smell of burning homes and other things wafted to them, and then the village broke into view. Ryoma held up a hand, counting down… and then the flames of his fury were unleashed. 

Sakura held tight to Hinoka as they soared through the sky.  
“I’m going to keep you with me. Let me know if you’ve got a good shot, and I’ll level us out. It’s just faceless, so we shouldn’t have to deal with any arrows coming our way.”  
Sakura nodded against her back and tightened the straps holding her legs to the saddle. The arrangement let her have her hands free to shoot. She leaned down to the side slightly, careful to keep her weight centered, and squinted through the smoke.  
“There, two of them, trying to circle around behind our people.”  
Hinoka guided the pegasus down through the hazy air, until they were able to swoop over the monsters below. On the second pass, Sakura let an arrow fly, grinning when it hit true, catching the faceless through the eye. Takumi would be proud of her. Her aim could almost rival his now. She notched another arrow and took aim at the second creature which was now bellowing and thundering towards Ryoma and the others.  
“Get around in front of it!”  
When the Pegasus wheeled around, Sakura stood up in her straps and fired again, and then again, catching it twice in the chest. It stumbled and found itself on the receiving end of Xander’s sword dripping with violet flames. He wrenched it free and glanced up, spearing Sakura with his eyes. The fury she always saw in them was there, joined by a dark joy. She waited for the customary panic his gaze normally elicited but instead felt a fluttery warmth in her stomach and… lower. Before she had time to dwell on these new and completely foreign feelings, Xander went charging towards another foe, and Hinoka took them on another sweep of the field.  
The small force of her people broke apart the hoards of faceless like a child kicking an anthill and then stomping them all flat. Unable to speak over the roar of flames and the smoky air, she gestured for Hinoka to land in a clear area. As they spiraled down, Sakura pulled her legs out of the straps and leapt down the moment the pegasus touched down.  
“We need to get to the survivors and try to put out the flames.”  
She started towards the town hall where the survivors were barricaded, but Hinoka got in the way.  
“You have to wait until its clear, Sakura! I can’t keep us both alive if we get ambushed by faceless in our search for survivors.”  
“We can’t wait any longer, and there aren’t any faceless over here that I can see. Come on.”  
Grumbling about little sisters that didn’t listen, Hinoka grabbed her naginata and lead the way inside.

As the last of the faceless fell headless at his feet, Xander pulled Valentine to a stop and slid down from the saddle. Leo and Azura were working to put out the flames, and Corrin had gone ahead with Ryoma to check for survivors.  
He headed inside, ducking through the collapsed doorway, picking through rubble to the central hall. At first glance, the chaos of screaming, burnt flesh, and desperate gasping for clean air ruled the cramped space. But at the center, calming and directing, stood Sakura, kimono torn and stained with blood, soot, and Gods knew what else. Her bow and true flying arrows were still strapped to her back. As he watched, she knelt at the side of a man who looked more charred than human. She closed her eyes and began chanting, her hands and staff glowing a soft, gentle yellow. As the light hit him, patches of crisped skin fell away, and pink skin showed through beneath. After a moment, she sat back on her heels, and rested a hand on the man’s forehead, before rising to her feet and continuing to walk amongst the worst injured, stopping for those who most needed her help.  
As Xander watched her, his world narrowed to the understanding that he had been very, very wrong. Here was a woman who shot down two monsters through smoky air from the back of a flying horse and was now sitting in the center of the detritus of battle, pouring her energy into saving strangers she had no reason to care about. He would be lucky to ever be able to call a woman like her his own. 

When Xander knelt down beside her and asked how he could help, Sakura didn’t think twice. She immediately sent him to help carry an injured man to a cot, and then bring back a new jar of salves. Here, amidst the chaos of death and the dying, she was in her element.  
When the worst of the injured were finally stabilized, she sat back and breathed out for maybe the first time since landing in the burning village.  
“May I help you up, my lady?”  
She took the offered hand without looking, too exhausted to care. Unfortunately, her legs didn’t cooperate, and she ended up leaning against a muscled, soot stained chest. Strong arms came around her and scooped her up before she could protest, and she found herself looking up at Xander’s blood streaked face. He had a cut over one eye and some of the blood trailed down his cheek. Without thinking, Sakura reached up and brushed her fingers over the cut, letting the last bit of her magic trickle out and close the wound.  
“There. Can’t have your pretty face messed up. It’s a nice face even though your eyes are scary sometimes.”  
She was mumbling and probably rambling but cradled in his arms she felt safe and warm, and sleep claimed her swiftly. 

Xander rode with Sakura tucked in front of him. He ignored Hinoka’s death glare leveled at his head, as well as Ryoma’s brooding glances. Her siblings were not his concern. She had nearly worked herself to death and he was going to see her safely home. Besides, she thought he was pretty. Coming from anyone else, he’d have taken it as an insult, but with her, it was endearing.  
By the time they reached the camp, Hinoka was riding so close behind him that she was lucky Valentine had had his fill of kicking things for the evening. The horse’s hooves were as blood soaked as Xander’s sword. He swung out of the saddle, lifting Sakura back into his arms. She stirred, snuggling further into his cloak, and settled once more. He turned towards her tent and came face to face with Ryoma, Prince of Hoshido himself.  
“Thank you for watching over my sister. Hinoka will get her back to her tent.”  
Xander reluctantly set Sakura on her feet. She blinked up at him and her eyes widened, and then her cheeks flushed crimson.  
“I—um—sorry I fell asleep, you didn’t need to—I mean, I appreciate—“  
Xander gently placed a finger on her lips.  
“It was no trouble, Princess. Sleep well.”  
He nodded to Ryoma and Hinoka and set off to his own tent. Even through his gloves, the imprint of her lips burned him to the core. 

A sliver of bright sun snuck into the tent by the time Sakura managed to get out of bed. Her head was pounding, yelling at her for overdoing it the night before. At least being so tired chased away the nightmares. She dreaded the next few nights, when images of burning bodies and blackened skin would haunt her dreams.  
She stood and stretched her arms over her head, working out the tension in her shoulders. Her stomach growled and she headed out of the tent after pulling on a clean kimono, walking towards the mess hall to grab some leftover breakfast. If she could just get a sesame roll, this morning would be far more bearable. Then she’d go find Elise and get some of her famous headache salve.  
“Lady Sakura?”  
She shrieked and spun towards the voice at her side. She had been so focused on getting to the food that she must have looked like some hungry zombie. Xander stood beside her, smiling slightly, his golden hair gleaming in the sun. Or maybe that was just an effect of her lack of sleep. Or the fact that he’d carried her home as she slept.  
He held out a cloth wrapped object. The delicious smell of fresh baked bread wafted through the air and Sakura grabbed the bundle, unwrapping it to reveal a sesame roll, still warm from the oven. She took a huge bite, full knowing she was being rude, but she couldn’t help it. She had a weakness for the sweet pastries, one that Xander had apparently found out about.  
After a few more bites, she managed to slow down enough to acknowledge the prince still standing at her side. His smile had widened, revealing dimples. The great Prince Xander of Nohr had dimples. Sakura giggled.  
“I’m sorry, I just—you’re just—you have dimples! And thank you! For the roll. How did you know I liked them?”  
The words tumbled out of her mouth like fireflies escaping a jar. Her aversion to speaking in front of Xander was somehow gone. He stared at her with a slightly irritated expression on his face.  
“I do not have dimples.”  
She giggled again, enjoying watching him try to frown to hide his smile.  
“You very much do. They’re cute.”  
Suddenly, Xander’s expression shifted, his eyes lighting up with that inner fire. Sakura swallowed, feeling her throat dry up and her face flush. This was the Xander she’d seen on the battlefield last night, the one who made her shiver and long for something she couldn’t name. He leaned close, and she had to force herself to stop trembling. One of his hands skimmed lightly over her jaw and tilted her face up to his.  
“Is cute the best adjective you can come up with to describe me, Sakura?”  
He said her name, no titles, just her name, and shook her to her core. Who knew her name could have that effect on her if it came from his lips.  
“Magnificent.”  
His hand dropped away from her face and Sakura heard him suck in a breath. Before she lost her nerve, she hurried to finish her thought.  
“On the battlefield last night, I saw what you become without all your formality and rules, without your rigid control. And that’s the adjective I’d use, my Lord.”  
She’d never thought to see this great prince at a loss for words, but he simply stared at her. She felt herself wavering under his relentless gaze and muttered a fast thankyoufortheroll before nearly running for Hinoka’s tent. 

Magnificent. She saw him at his most terrible, in the throes a bloodlust he feared made him more like his father than not, and she called him magnificent. It was good she’d run when she had; Xander had been far too close to doing something completely improper. Though maybe she wanted him uncontrolled and improper. No, that voice needed to be quiet, or he’d make a complete idiot of himself and likely find himself electrocuted by Ryoma’s lightning edged blade.  
Xander was still at a loss when Leo found him at the edge of the camp.  
“I think Hinoka wants your head on a pike. You may want to put the brakes on the cuddling her little sister act.”  
Leo was smirking at him. Xander started striding away but his persistent younger brother kept pace.  
“You know, I figured Camilla would be the one to play with a Hosidian, but it looks like you’re beating her too it.”  
He spun to face his brother, startling him into tripping over his feet.  
“I am not playing with her! I don’t know what I’m doing with her, just that she makes me lose all reason which is something I can’t afford. Something we all cannot afford.”  
Leo held up his hands and shrugged.  
“Maybe it’s not a horrible idea for you to have something other than the war to focus on. I mean, father became so engulfed in war that he quite literally gave up his soul to an evil dragon lord. You have a heart, Xander, no matter how much you’ve had to harden it to protect the rest of us over the years.”  
For the second time that day, Xander was at a loss. He reached out and pulled Leo into a rough hug.  
“I am lucky to call you my brother. And I will always do whatever it takes to protect you.”  
Leo pushed him off with a shoulder, rolling his eyes.  
“Just don’t lose yourself while you’re doing it.”

Sakura finished folding the fresh bandages and left the supply tent, breathing in the crisp night air. There was something beautiful about winter, when the stars sparkled in their deep blue nests. She let the sounds of the camp settling down for the night wash over her. She was in no rush to return to her tent, and the nightmares that would assail her the moment she closed her eyes. She headed off to the stream running nearby, sitting down on the banks and watching bits of ice tumble over the smooth stones beneath the water. She threw a bit of energy into her staff, letting its warm yellow glow wash over the area around her.  
The crackling of twigs had Sakura’s head snapping up and searching the gloom.  
“May I join you?”  
Xander’s deep voice rumbled out of the darkness and Sakura’s thoughts flashed back to the discussion she’d had with Hinoka earlier that day. Once she’d fled Xander’s gaze, she’d reached Hinoka’s tent in a complete flurry of confusion. The details of her encounter, and her feelings, and what she’d said came out in a rush. Her sister had sat her down and forced her to go through it all slowly. Sakura had been worried that Hinoka would be angry, or shame her for allowing Xander to make her want… things. Not that she even knew what those things were. Instead, Hinoka had started laughing, making up a silly song about a little sister having a crush. But then she’d gotten serious and threatened to unman Xander if he happened to break her little sister’s heart. As the unknowing recipient of the threat grew closer, Sakura figured there was no need to share that tidbit with Xander just yet. Maybe as a warning in the future if anything remotely involving hearts evolved.  
Xander settled down beside her. Sakura was far too aware of the little space separating them, filled with still, icy air. He didn’t break the silence, just watched the stream. She watched him, unable to tear her eyes away from the strong profile of his face, thrown into shadow by the glow of her magic. She felt some hidden tension stretching between them, and wished she felt so comfortable with his silence as she did with Leo, or her own siblings. Right as she was about to jump out of her skin, his voice spilled into the night once more.  
“My father is a terrible foe to meet on the battlefield. His enemies see the fires of hell in his eyes before he takes their lives. When I was twelve, he took me with him to visit a nearby town. Our party was set upon by raiders. He told me to draw my sword, to fight at his side. That was the day I realized that I had that same fire inside of me. I killed a man and I enjoyed it. At the time, I felt proud to truly be my father’s son.  
“But he changed. And as he became cruel and filled with darkness, I no longer wanted to be like him. He’d constantly remind me that I too, had a monster inside. I shut it off, hardened myself, made it so that the monster could only escape during battle. I’ve always feared that it was all a façade, that I am no better than my father, reveling in the act of snuffing out lives.”  
Sakura wanted to reach out and touch him, ease the sharp pain she heard in his voice, but he kept speaking, still looking down at the water.  
“I didn’t want you to see me fight. I didn’t want you to see the monster inside me. It mattered to me that you didn’t fear me. But then you saw, and even caught up the battle fury I knew what I saw in your eyes was not fear. What I saw in your eyes shattered the walls I’d built around my heart.”  
He looked at her then, and Sakura forced herself to breathe.  
“What did you see, Xander?”  
His name was sweet on her tongue. Had she ever said it before? His hands skimmed up her arms, warming her even though her layers of clothes.  
“A bright, steady flame to match my own.”  
He was so close now, his mouth hovering over hers. Sakura licked her lips nervously. He had to know she’d never been kissed, never even spent this much time alone with a man. She was going to mess this up and then he’d go back to seeing her as the timid little Hoshidian princess.  
The first brush of his lips was soft, one hand curling around the back of her neck to cradle her close, the other stroking featherlight touches over her face. Her lips molded to his and she felt him shudder under her hands as she ran them up his chest to link behind his neck. He kept brushing light kisses over her lips until she was trembling and pressing closer. His hand pressed against the small of her back as he deepened the kiss, his fingers stroking lines of fire down the side of her neck. Sakura had no idea her neck could be that sensitive, but each stroke caused more warmth to pool between her legs. Xander broke away and took one of her hands, placing it over his heart.  
“Feel what you do to me, Sakura.”  
His heart beat wildly under her palm, his breaths uneven, eyes filled with intensity, devouring her. She wanted to feel his skin beneath her fingers. She traced his jaw with her fingertips, running them over his cheeks and nose. She sat up on her knees and brushed light kisses over his eyes, his nose, and finally returned to his lips, trying to mimic what he’d done to her moments before. Out of curiosity and desire, she flicked her tongue out to trace his lower lip. She wasn’t prepared for his arms to tighten around her and pull her into his lap, a groan escaping him as he licked his way into her mouth, tasting her. She knew she’d snapped some of his control as he took over her mouth, his lips and tongue stroking over hers and demanding her to open for him. She’d never felt anything so amazing.  
“Gods, woman, you will drive me to madness without ever knowing what you’re doing.”  
Sakura buried her face in his neck, resting against his chest, and smiled.  
“You could teach me. So that I’ll know that I’m doing.”  
She felt him tense, and then he gently moved her off his lap. She saw his hands clench and relax on his legs, as if he was fighting some inner battle. Clearly, something was decided as he abruptly stood up and held out a hand to help her up off the ground.  
“It’s late and you should sleep. There’s no way you’ve completely recovered from exhausting yourself with your healing work. I’ll walk you back to your tent.”  
He was suddenly stiff and distant. Sakura felt a deep ache start up in her chest. She’d done something wrong. She shouldn’t have been so forward, what in Holy names was she thinking? She felt like a complete fool.  
“I’m—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you… Gods I’m embarrassed.”  
They kept walking in silence, the tension back in full force. At her tent, Xander again seemed to wrestle with himself. Sakura wanted to disappear. She made to pull aside the flap to enter her tent when Xander caught her hand.  
“Don’t apologize. When you asked me to teach you I forgot about the cold, about the hard ground, about your innocence. Either I was going to get up and get you back to camp, or I was going to slide my hands under your many layers of clothing until I could find out if you were as filled with need for me as I am for you this very moment.”  
Sakura gaped at him. Her body was on fire, the place between her legs hot and wet and likely exactly what he would have wanted to find on his search beneath her clothes.  
“Xander—"  
He cut her off with a shake of his head.  
“Don’t ask me tonight, little Princess. Not tonight.”  
Silly, uncalled for disappointment shot through her body. Of course he couldn’t stay, it would be wildly inappropriate and reckless and Sakura couldn’t think of anything she wanted more. Xander touched her under her chin and lowered his lips to hers, caressing her with a sweet kiss before turning and striding off into the night. 

She had no idea. Xander slammed his fist into his pillow and cursed under his breath. She had absolutely no idea how hard it was for him to walk away. He’d never been with someone innocent and untouched before. He was half-panicked about going too fast or too far. He was completely unprepared for her to melt under him and return his passion with her own sweet desire. Xander stripped out of his clothes, glaring at his persistent erection tenting out his underclothes and laid down. He needed to sleep and get his head back together.  
Memories of soft skin under his fingers and her tongue licking at his lips assailed him. With another curse, Xander reached down and grasped himself, groaning as he heard her ask him again to teach her. He’d love nothing more. He found his release as her name slipped on a whisper from his lips, and he fell into sleep with her laughter ringing in his mind. 

The morning brought clarity. Sakura lay there, staring at the cloth ceiling of her tent, convincing herself that the decision she’d made the night before, after Xander left, was a good one. With a sigh, she got out of bed and put on one of her training outfits. If she was going to go talk to her brother about the possibility of her and Xander, she needed to blow off steam first. She grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows and headed out to the field where she practiced. She didn’t like to use the regular range where the soldiers trained because she was still too uncomfortable with their appraisal.  
She shot arrow after arrow, aiming for the various branches of the massive oak tree, making every mark, but still her thoughts whirled through her brain. Eventually, her arms were quivering and she was out of things to shoot. She gathered up the arrows and slowly made her way back to the camp.  
After dropping off her bow at her tent, she headed to the Hoshidian general’s tent, hoping to find Ryoma there. She called a greeting and her brother appeared at the opening, looking grim. Sakura swallowed and followed him inside.  
“I have something I need to talk to you about.”  
Ryoma grunted and sat down, looking at her over steepled fingers.  
“Ok… so, I talked to Hinoka yesterday and she seemed to think that this isn’t completely insane but I wanted to talk to you as well because the last thing I’d want to do was mess up the alliance or—“  
“Sakura.”  
She stopped and bit her lip as Ryoma frowned at her, and then heaved a sigh.  
“He just left, not five minutes before you came here.”  
Sakura blinked at him, trying to follow the change in conversation.  
“Who—“  
“Xander. Which is, I assume, what you were attempting to talk to me about?”  
Ryoma stood up and started pacing, looking like a caged lion.  
“Sakura, I love you and the last thing I want is to see you get hurt. He is the high prince of Nohr, the son of the monster who got us into this disaster. You’ve barely known each other three months.”  
Sakura felt sudden and unexpected anger well up inside her.  
“He is nothing like his father. He is good, and loyal, and a fair leader to his people. In any other circumstance, he is exactly the kind of man you would strive to see me marry.”  
Her brother stopped pacing and came to stand in front of her.  
“I know. That’s what I told him when he asked for my blessing to court you.”  
She mouthed wordlessly at him.  
“So… you’re ok with it? Me and him? Together?”  
Ryoma started laughing.  
“Gods no! You’re my little sister, who should remain pure and innocent and young forever. I may just ship you off to a monastery!”  
Sakura punched him in the shoulder, and then threw her arms around him.  
“Thank you, Ryoma.”  
She pulled back to look up at him.  
“You will be an incredible king to our people and lead us into a new peaceful future. I know it.”  
Her big, strong brother blushed, and she grinned, heading out into the sunlight. 

Xander had no idea how to go about courting Sakura, or any woman for that matter. He’d always assumed his marriage would be arranged and they’d figure out how to care for one another as time went on. He had never met someone he so desperately needed to see happy.  
The thunk of arrows hitting targets broke into his thoughts as he passed by the practice range. He never saw Sakura here, so she obviously had somewhere private to train. She was as good a shot as any of his best archers. As he watched the men unleash arrow after arrow at the targets, he got an idea for what he could do to start this courtship. Though, after the night before, start was probably the wrong word.  
Hours later, after tromping through the woods and tripping over a fair share of tree roots, he’d found what he needed. He was about to go back to his tent when a voice called out.  
“Does this have to do with courting me? Because I should tell you that a pile of branches isn’t exactly my ideal present.”  
Her teasing laughter bubbled out behind him and he turned to see her standing there, wearing tight fitting leggings and a tunic, arms covered in thin sleeves. He could see the lines of her slender body standing out against the soft cloth.  
“How did you know I was courting you?”  
She came to stand in front of him and smiled.  
“Well, I went to Ryoma to tell him that I wanted to court you and he informed me that you’d already stopped by.”  
Xander’s brain had stopped at the part where she wanted to court him. The branches piled in his arms were both a curse and a blessing, stopping him from dragging her into his arms and dominating her with his mouth.  
“Ah… um yes the branches are to do with courting you but it’s a surprise so you’ll have to wait.”  
They began walking back towards the camp and this time the silence was comfortable and filled with promise. 

The darkness of her tent was made of the hands of the dead, smothering her in their grief and horror. The icy chill of the grave spiked through her as Sakura writhed, trying to break free. Faces of those she’d lost, twisted into gruesome masks with vacant, pleading eyes, hovered in the shadows. She was drowning, lost in the miasma of evil, filling her lungs and seeping through her skin. A howling shriek split her in two and the ghosts rushed in, sharp teeth tearing at her flesh, and she screamed— and woke up on a gasp.  
Breathing hard, Sakura threw open the tent flap and let the frigid air freeze away the sweat from the nightmare. Unwilling sobs wrenched themselves out of her chest and she tried to stifle them, curling up in the moonlight and burying her face in her knees.  
Warm hands smoothed down her arms. She looked up to find Xander, worry filling his eyes, kneeling before her.  
“You have nightmares.”  
It wasn’t a question so she didn’t bother responding, just sniffled and tried to stop the last of the tears. He sat down and pulled her into his arms, surrounding her with his warmth. She shivered and he rubbed his hands up and down her back.  
“Do you want to talk about it?”  
She shook her head, afraid that if she spoke the voices of the dead would come bursting forth and her ghosts would become real. Xander didn’t push, just kept making soothing circles with his hands.  
“Your skin is like ice. You need to get back inside. You’re not dressed for this cold.”  
Sakura looked at his thin shirt and pants and raised her eyebrows. Xander looked mildly uncomfortable.  
“I woke up and knew you weren’t alright so I just… came straight here.”  
“So you shouldn’t be out in the cold either.”  
He tightened his arms around her and gave her a squeeze.  
“Seems like we are both out of our minds.”  
She giggled and snuggled into him. She took a deep breath, smelling what made him Xander.  
“Will you stay with me?”  
He hadn’t cut her off that time. Sakura figured that was a good sign. Still, she felt him tense and could almost hear his refusals piling up in his head. But then he let out a shuddering breath and picking her up, ducking inside the entry to her tent. 

Xander set her on her feet and tied the tent closed behind them. The space immediately started to warm, which made sense because he was burning everywhere her skin touched his. He would take this slow. He would hold her and kiss her until she could sleep. And then he would lie there hard as a rock for the rest of the night. Yes, that would work great.  
“Touch me, Xander. Please.”  
With three words, she shot his go-slow plan to hell. He forced himself to drop his hands from her and breathe.  
“Sakura, I want you to be sure. If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop, no matter what we’re doing or how far we’ve gone, but it would really be better if you told me now.”  
Her tongue darted out and wet her lips and immediately he was harder than he’d ever been in his life.  
“I trust you. And I don’t want to stop.”  
He dove down and captured her mouth, thrusting his tongue to dance with hers, tangling his fingers in her short auburn hair. She made a needy sound deep in her throat and he broke from her lips to kiss down her neck, feeling her shiver. He sucked on the skin over her collarbone until she gasped, and then soothed it with his tongue. She whimpered and dragged her hands through his hair, holding him closer. He chuckled and blew a breath over her damp skin. He claimed her mouth again, loving how she molded her body to his.  
Xander felt her hands tug at his shirt, untucking it from his pants, so that her soft palms could caress his bare skin. He ended the kiss on a groan, reveling in the feeling of her fingertips exploring his chest. He needed her, naked on the bed, opening for him. Gods, how he wanted to get her there, get her to the place where she was panting and as desperate as he felt. He stepped back and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it to the ground. Her eyes widened and he heard her draw in a shaky breath. Then she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the skin over his heart.  
“Not a monster. Never.”  
Surprising him, Sakura reached for the ties holding her nightgown closed, pulling it loose and letting the fabric fall down her shoulders, baring her from waist up. Her breasts were small, but perfect. Rosebud nipples tight in the slight chill of the air. Just the size for his hands. She was so delicate, looked so fragile. But he’d seen her fight and he saw the passion in her eyes. She could match him, and she would certainly undo him.  
“Do I…. look alright? No one’s ever—I’ve never done this with anyone before.”  
Xander growled at the thought of anyone else seeing her like this.  
“I love that I’m the only one. I’m selfish that way. You are beautiful, Sakura.”  
He could see her hands fisting at her sides, clearly fighting the need to cover herself, but she stayed steady under his gaze. He reached out and cupped one of her breasts in his calloused hand, running the pad of his thumb over her nipple. She gasped and flushed, murmuring his name. Hearing his name from her lips was his new favorite sound. He did the same on the other side, the stepped forward until they were chest to chest, skin on skin. Her ran his hands up her spine, pressing her close. She twined her arms around his neck and stood up on her toes, carefully capturing his mouth, licking inside without hesitation, like she needed his taste on her tongue. 

Sakura didn’t know where her body ended and his began. She nipped at his lips, copying something he’d done to her, rewarded by his rumbling pleasure. He left lines of fire on her skin wherever he touched. He cupped the back of her head and took control of the kiss, kneeling and laying her down on the bed. He covered her body with his, resting enough weight on her for her to feel his arousal pressing hard against her belly.  
She pushed at his shoulders and he drew away, looking pained, as though worried she would tell him to stop.  
“I want to see all of you, Xander. Please?”  
He immediately stripped out of pants and underclothes, coming back to lie beside her on his back, arms behind his head. She loved how he gave her the control, as if he knew it helped ease her nerves.  
“Look all you like, little princess.”  
She grinned at his pet name for her and let her eyes wander down… and down… until she was staring at something that had to be bigger than what they typically described in those books Hinoka smuggled into her room for her 16th birthday.  
“Um… will we fit?”  
Xander laughed and rolled to his side, finding that sensitive spot over her collarbone and kissing her there. She reached down and circled him with her fingers, squeezing gently, surprised to feel the satiny texture of his skin. He groaned and dropped his head into the hollow of her shoulder, shuddering as she stroked him from base to tip. She kept touching him, changing the pressure or speed based on the sounds he made. She never thought to see him laid bare, and not just physically. He was more honest in this moment than he’d ever been with her before.  
“I hate to say it, but if you keep that up this night will be a lot shorter than intended.”  
When Sakura realized he meant that she was close to bringing him to his pleasure, she had a moment of private satisfaction. She was glad that she could bring this proud man to the edge. She stroked him again, lingering at the tip and swiping at the moisture there. Xander groaned and suddenly reached up and pinched her nipples lightly. She squeaked in surprise and let go of him, and he took the opportunity to flip her onto her stomach.  
“Xander--!”  
He trapped her hands behind her back and kissed the nape of her neck. He moved down her spine, placing lingering open mouthed kisses on her skin. She felt each one to her core and was soon whimpering and struggling against his hold on her arms. He kept his grip, never hurting her, but not giving her a chance to escape either. He tugged off her socks, and then slid her leggings down her legs, until she was as naked as him.  
She stilled, feeling his eyes on her. She had a moment of unease, thinking of the types of women men liked, with ample curves and long legs. She was short and didn’t have much in the way of womanly figure. She squirmed again, wanting to get out of this exposed position when Xander let out a choppy breath.  
“I’ve been imaging this moment in my mind, and I didn’t even come close.”  
He flipped her onto her back and rolled on top of her, capturing her face between his hands.  
“The reality is impossibly perfect.”  
He wanted her, desperately. She could see it in his eyes, yet he held himself still above her, waiting. She ran her nails down his back and he arched into her, so that she felt his arousal brush along the inside of her thigh. She couldn’t help but stiffen, remembering the size of him in her hands. She knew it would hurt, she was ready for that, but she couldn’t help a little bit of fear.  
Xander brushed light kisses over her mouth, and then worked his way down her body, nipping at her hips and dipping his tongue into her navel, drawing a giggle from her. Sakura watched him, confused. He couldn’t possibly mean to—she threw her head back gasped as his mouth delivered the most intimate kiss. He lapped at her and sucked on a place that made her cry out softly, pleasure spiking through her body. She felt his fingers brush her thigh and then part her folds, until one slid inside her, just a bit. She writhed beneath him, to get away or get closer, she wasn’t sure. He worked a second finger into her, slowly pumping in and out, stretching her deliciously. All the while, he kept licking and sucking on her sensitive flesh. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain and she whimpered, jolting away from him. Xander slid up her body, cradling her close.  
“Shhh… I’ve got you. That’s it, no more pain. It’s easier this way, otherwise I would have hurt you far more.”  
As the pangs of losing her maidenhood diminished, a different ache settled deep in her belly, making her press herself closer to Xander. She needed him, needed him to finish what he started and get her to that elusive place she sensed was so close by. 

She was already moving against him, making soft sounds and running her hands over his back. Xander blessed whatever Gods had decided to grace him with this gift. Sakura pressed closer, pain apparently forgotten. He’d hated hurting her, hated that this was part of it for a woman. At the same time, some deep, primitive part of him was satisfied that he’d claimed her.  
Xander traced a finger over her sex, dipping in softly and running his thumb in a circle over her clit. Her used his other hand to bring one of her breasts to his mouth, sucking her nipple into his mouth. He felt her relax against him, the tension leaving her until she was once more writhing against him. He stretched her with a third finger and groaned at how tight she was. He couldn’t wait any longer, or he wouldn’t be able to be gentle. She’d already driven him to the edge of orgasm simply by exploring him earlier.  
He made his way up her body, nudging her legs apart until he could rest between them. She looked up at him, flushed and panting, lips red and swollen from his kisses. He took her hand, wanting her to feel them as they joined, and guided her to grasp him and position him at her entrance.  
Xander pushed forward, feeling her heat give under the blunt head of his cock. Sakura’s breath came quicker and he felt like all of his muscles were going to give out with the tight control he kept on them. He slid forward more, then back out, rocking back and forth, steadily going deeper, until finally he sheathed himself fully inside her. Partially to give her time to adjust, and partially to savor the image of her pinned beneath him, he grinned.  
“I suppose we fit after all, little princess.”  
Sakura made a desperate noise and growled at him.  
“Move, Xander, please, please move!”  
He laughed and pulled back, shuddering at how tightly she gripped him. He stroked back into her, rewarded by her starting to murmur his name. He lowered down until they were chest to chest and gathered her to him, still thrusting into her slowly. This closeness—he’d never had anything like it before. He kept up the steady pace, driving them both towards the edge of insanity.  
He felt her muscles start squeezing at him and knew she was close. He stroked into her with more force and ground against her, hitting her clit, and he captured her cry with his mouth. She gasped his name over and over, shaking and jerking against him, her eyes open in wonder. He kept thrusting shallowly, helping her ride it out.  
“Oh—Gods I haven’t… ever felt something like that before.”  
Her words unraveled his control and he started to move again, hitting her deeper and moving faster. Part of him waited for her to object, but she wrapped her legs around his waist instead, opening to him. His hips hammered forwards of their own accord, and he was incapable of slowing, listening to the sounds of her desire as she dragged his head down to kiss him. He felt himself teetering on the brink and forced himself to pull out of her, his seed spurting out over her skin. She reached down and stroked him, and he nearly collapsed as another wave of pleasure crashed through him. Finally, he was spent, and collapsed at her side, gasping. 

As she watched Xander sneak back to his tent in the early hours of dawn, Sakura stifled a giggle. She was sore in all new places and her body still tingled with tiny after shocks of pleasure. After that incredible moment when she’d broken to pieces and soared among the stars, she thought they’d cuddle and perhaps nap for a bit in each other’s arms. She had not expected Xander to tenderly clean off her skin, and then grin wickedly before sealing his lips over her most intimate place, once more driving her body to heights previously unknown.  
By the time she’d come down the second time, her muscles were quivering, and she was filled with contented exhaustion. Only then did he let her sleep, and no nightmares found their way into her dreams. 


End file.
